What we're watching (all times EST): USA at Italy (ESPN2) in a men's soccer friendly at 2:30. Maryland at North Carolina (ESPN), Marquette at Cincinnati (ESPN2), and St John's at Pittsburgh (ESPNU) in men's college basketball at 7. Penguins at Stars (NBCSN) at 7:30. Bulls at Spurs (ESPN) at 9. Oklahoma at Texas (ESPN2) and Iowa at Nebraska (ESPNU) in men's college basketball at 9.

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Leitch on Lin: "When Lin started draining three-pointers in the clutch as if he were Larry Bird, the most unlikely thing about it wasn't his skin color or alma mater: It's the fact that a guy with his skills isn't even supposed to be taking those shots. For two giddy, batshit, statistically anomalous weeks, we watched Jeremy Lin double down on sixteen over and over and win every time. The fun of it was knowing that this was the game when the joyride had to end … and then witnessing him draw yet another blackjack and act like it was the most normal thing in the world. The run finally came to a close last Thursday against the Heat, but he's still way up, as gamblers might put it. Meanwhile, the Knicks had a seven-game winning streak, and Lin set a record for the most points scored in a player's first five starts." [New York Magazine]

Poor Cuddles. Ever since Kelvin Sampson left Indiana, he has refused to leave his bucket. And as…
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Elsewhere

D-Wade sorry for Pete Rose-ing Kobe Bryant's Ray Fosse: "Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade said he sent a message of apology to Kobe Bryant after unintentionally breaking his nose during a hard foul in Sunday's All-Star Game. 'It's all I can do,' Wade said of the message to Kobe. 'He knows it's no ill intent of me to do that to him. Talk about me for taking the foul, but I never wanted that kind of outcome.' Bryant's teammates weren't exactly in a forgiving mood and questioned the motivation behind Wade's foul. 'It was an All-Star Game,' said Andrew Bynum, who was on the Western Conference All-Star's bench in Orlando at the time of the foul. 'I don't understand what that was all about. It was crazy.' Added Pau Gasol: 'I think it was out of place, out of line, for the moment and the game that it was, but I don't think he intended to break his nose. He just fouled him kind of hard there and got his nose. But again, I don't think it was the place to foul like that.'" [ESPN LA]

At M.I.T.'s Sloan Conference, basketball nerds disagree with The Decision: As for LeBron James's Decision, Shen said that Miami was one of the worst teams James could have picked in terms of chemistry. The Cleveland Cavaliers presented James with the best synergies, but that was largely because he made his teammates better, rather than the other way around. Also, according to their model, Dwyane Wade is not a good fit with James because their main skills, offensive scoring and ball handling, are wasted in combination with one another. But Shen acknowledged that mathematical formulas do not always have the answers. 'If you're LeBron James, synergies aren't the only things you consider,' he said." [New York Times]

Your Nolan Ryan and Robin Ventura Interlude:

Bernie Fine's accusers seek change in sexual abuse laws: "Bobby Davis and Mike Lang, who were ball boys in the Orange's program, traveled to the Capitol Tuesday with high-profile attorney Gloria Allred. They're joining a push for a bill sponsored by Assemblywoman Marge Markey, a Queens Democrat who for seven years has pushed measures to make it easier to sue alleged abusers, even opening up a one-year window during which lawsuits could be brought regardless of the statute of limitations. 'I was a child when I was sexually abused. Coming forward then, against someone so revered in our community was not an option,' said Davis. ‘Also, when I did call the police department and university, they did not do anything meaningful. This law would make child predators accountable so they could not hide behind the statute of limitations.'" [Albany Times Union]

Tiger was lucky we weren't at war with Sweden: "Imagine for just a second what the golf world would be like if Tiger Woods had decided to walk away from the game in the prime of his career. It's almost impossible to fathom, but in an excerpt from Hank Haney's soon-to-be-released Tiger tell-all, posted on GolfDigest.com, the instructor confirmed there was a point when Woods considered giving up golf to become a Navy SEAL. 'Tiger was seriously considering becoming a Navy SEAL. I didn't know how he'd go about it, but when he talked about it, it was clear he had a plan....I thought, Wow, here is Tiger Woods, greatest athlete on the planet, maybe the greatest athlete ever, right in the middle of his prime, basically ready to leave it all behind for a military life.'" [Yahoo Sports]

Bobby Valentine, anti-beer, pro-beating up A-Rod: "New Boston Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine got the 2012 rivalry with the Yankees going early Tuesday. He took a little shot at captain Derek Jeter and then took a poke at another Yankee when asked to assess Jason Varitek, the catcher who will retire Thursday. 'From afar, he was everything you want a guy who wears a 'C' to be,' Valentine said of the longtime Red Sox captain. 'He was a man's man, he was a big hitter when needed, he was the leader of the pitching staff. [Pause] He was able to beat up Alex, all that stuff. He was exactly what he was supposed to be.'" [ESPN Boston]